Flow formed or better, $1000 to $2500, high quality
 

[EDITED] I’ve been thinking of wheels again, and I know this topic has been beaten to death. Here’s a list of quality “not crazy looking” wheels between $1000 and $2500 that have been popular. Any others to add? Some are classics and are timeless. Some are actually cast, so I’ll need to refine the list.

I’ll make a spreadsheet or site with images and more details later.

Enkei Racing (RPF1, RS05RR, PF07)
Gram Lights (57CR, 57DR, 57XR)
WORK Emotion (ZR10, T5R, T7R)
WedsSport (TC105X, RN-05M, SA-72R)
SSR (GTV01, GTV02, GTV03)
Advan (TC4, RG-D2, ???)
HRE (FF01, FF04, FF15)
Forgestar (CF5, CF10, F14)
O.Z. Racing (ALLEGGERITA HLT, ULTRALEGGERA)
Enkei Tuning (KOJIN, TS9, TSP6)
Superspeed (RF06RR)
FAST Wheels (FC04, FC08, FC09, FC12)
APEX (ARC-8, EC-7, SM-10)
TSW (Nurburgring, Imatra, Bathurst)

Where do you think apex wheels are made lmfao

Ok, you got me! I need to do a little more research, or change my specs :laughabove: I was giving them the benefit of the doubt without looking. Also made in China doesn’t necessarily indicate quality, but it does seem to be a bar.

Perfectly good quality wheels are being made in China and the Philippines. I wouldn't let country of origin dissuade you from a particular wheel, if you like the design/specifications.

That being said, I personally prefer to run a made in Japan wheel on my FR-S. But I have made in China wheels on my mr2 spyder and they've been just fine.

Better not look where the second gen stock wheels are made......

If only there were a thread already stickied at the top of this section with pictures of different wheels in different sizes and offsets. Maybe someday someone would do that ...............

If only the thread was about anything but looks (and some have weight). There are only a handful of wheels that are not much heavier than stock, and relatively inexpensive (compared to forged, etc.). The thread is great if you’re just browsing for styles.

Interesting. Ok, I’ll change my specs. It is true that it’s about the company and process, not generally the country.

You mean it has pictures as well as size and offset and that is not good enough? Most of the wheels you are talking about are in there, some have weights, if they don't you can easily look it up yourself.

If you would bother to google for 2 sec you would see that "rotary forged" is just marketing wank for flow formed. TSW, who uses "rotary forged" in their marketing even says so :bonk: They are not really "forged" in the classic sense that you consider a real forged wheel forged. We call this in other industries a spun wheel.

https://www.tsw.com/explore-tsw-cust...ged-wheels.php

https://astforgetech.com/cast-vs-flo...among%20others.

Some of the wheels on your list aren't even rotary forged, looking at you 57DR which is straight up cast. I have a set they are heavy AF.

Upvote for my new go to phrase.

Many American and non-Chinese brands are produced in China. The brand may demand a scan for defects or perform an xray, making them a cut above ordering direct from China. Styles are widely copied.

Just got my superspeed rf06rr in 17x9, they're flow formed and light, I would guess 17ish lbs as the 18s are 18lbs.

Got them for about $225 a pop shipped from canada land.

I got it from my favorite Canadian Youtuber

There are also wheel certifications like JWL and TRA. When dealing with a company overseas, which I deal with a lot of, things like ISO certifications go a long way. Things like ISO 9001 don't have anything to do with manufacturing standards, but QC and procedural standards. So if you are calling out a specification, you can trust that they can implement it and "show their work" if called upon.

Ok, I’ll change my text to “flow formed”, or more generically “spun”. You are right, that is a marketing phrase and there is no forging involved (I knew that).

No, size and offset are not good enough. What is the construction? What other offsets and colors are available? It’s a great browsing tool, but not a research tool.

57DR cast? Ouch. Ok, I’ll update, thanks. I wonder why are they $400 - $500?

Okay, so you are wanting more detailed than what we have. It sounded like you where asking for what was already available.

The 57DR used to be a lot cheaper, I think I paid like 1400 for my set new a long time ago. I was honestly wondering why people were asking so much for these used. They are Rays, Made in Japan, and JWL certified. Otherwise don't know why they are so much. They are super tough though. I misjudged a turn passing another car on track, went over the inside of the inner curb with a rear tire and struck the square edge. Some scuffed paint but no damaged and it's still round :bonk:

I do like my Arc-8's a lot more. So much nicer and lighter.

Those look great! I love the 6 spoke design. I’ll put them on the list.

According to this, a 18x9.5 57DR weighs 22 pounds, which doesn’t sound heavy. Then again, this was 7 years ago and who knows what changes have happened.

https://www.rallysportdirect.com/par...blue/questions

“A: These wheels weigh 22 pounds.”

As for the ARC-8s, they do look nice.

Fast Wheels has a few different flow-formed wheels that fit - FC04, FC08, FC09 and FC12. I'm running FC04's in 17x8" ET35, and they weigh 17 pounds per wheel (as per their specs on the website, and personally verified on my scale). I've run them on both my BRZ and my previous car, and they have been very durable despite the low weight. They're also fairly inexpensive - a set of my wheels is less than $1,000 Canadian, which is about $750 US.

Here's a link to all their flow-formed wheels in 5x100 bolt pattern (you can search by car as well, but there are certain fitments that will work on our cars with coilovers that are excluded from those results, E.G. 18x9" ET40): https://fastco.ca/Fast-Wheels/Alloy-...wheelPcd=5x100

The website has specs (weight, etc.) for all of the options.

Something amazing about the ARC-8s is that Apex designed the center of the wheel to give you plenty of size to fit any lug nut and socket you could possibly want in that area. No stupid specialty lug nuts or thin walled sockets required.

I've edited my first message and added a few more brands from feedback.


What about Konig's flow-formed wheels? They aren't my first choice, but are under 20 lbs (17/18 in) and look decent.



https://konigwheels.com/wheels/flow-formed-wheels/

Im probably going to get some hexagrams because i need new daily tires anyway and my black 6uls arent doing it for me anymore

I don't have experience with the models of Apex wheels that will fit our vehicles, but I did run a set of FL-5's on a different car.

Fit/finish were excellent and the wheels were really strong. I bought them second hand from the original owner who used them as his track wheels. I used them for autocross, and then sold them to another guy who is tracking on them now and loves them.

Not a direct comparison for the wheels you are looking at, but I think a good indicator of the quality you'll find in a set of Apex wheels.

Konig flow formed wheels are light and strong, have a set of ampliform in 17x8 and online reports around ~17.5lbs

They are also hub centric.

My only complaint about the Arc-8's is they pickup a LOT of OPR.

As a consumer, it's hard to tell if these certifications are real. Due diligence is almost impossible from the other side of the world. Also, just because the company is certified doesn't mean follow all quality control for something ordered by an individual. China's and India's business and personal ethos are largely to get away with what you can get away with, and let others pay the consequences.

So are there specific companies who you've actually had good dealings with and maybe even checked the work of?

Yes. Different industries then wheels though. I personally verify the first article sample and check parts from batches. Destructively if need be.

I couldn’t tell you about individual’s business ethos is from China or India, but from other Asian companies I deal with its quite the opposite. You tend to get what you specify, and if you don’t specify it, it’s dealers choice. I have found dealing with European companies more difficult and borderline shady in practice.

My track wheels were PF01s. Were great, cleared BBK easily, light weight, reasonable cost, never bent even with a few spin offs and street driving in NYC, and look simple and clean IMO. It’s actually the only thing I have left from my BRZ, I just couldn’t part with them.

Glad to hear this. I just took delivery of a set to run as my autocross wheels. I found good reviews other places, but it's always good to hear more.

Bought the car with Konig Hypergram shoes on. 18x8.5+38 I believe. Light and strong, no complaints so far, which prevents me from buying the SSR GTX03 for 3 years now.

So instead of a spreadsheet, which can get out of hand fairly quickly, I started writing a web app. My day job is working with React, so why not :)



https://wheels.ft86partpicker.com


Only a few wheels to get the design thought out. I'll add more over time. The www site is a much older, but maybe still relevant with a list of basic parts.



Mike

Doing more research, WORK Emotion ZR10 is listed as "1 Piece / WORK Flowforming Technology (WFT)". I don't see any other Emotion products listed with WFT, but I feel there could be?



https://www.workwheelsusa.com/product/emotion-zr10


It's difficult to find weight information for this wheel other than it is "lightweight" :iono:

Another flow-formed wheel, but I’m not familiar with the brand:

https://neuspeedrswheels.com/product...31935766528113

At $380 / wheel (18x8.5), they’re in the mid-range of flow-formed wheels.

BRAID Fullrace A. Made to order, essentially any size and offset. Not super light, priority is strength but they're commonly used in motorsport. I use them and like them.

- Andrew

They are fairly popular in some German car circles from what I remember. Only heard good things about them.

Yes - Neuspeed is a very popular VW/Audi tuner that's been around for decades. Problem with the wheels for our platform is that the center bore is wrong (57.1mm for the wheels vs. 56.1mm for our cars), and you can't get a hubcentric ring to fit because the difference is so small.

EDIT: I guess since back in the day when I was a VW guy, Neuspeed has added products for BMW, Fiat, Mini and Porsche as well. :)

There’s some conflicting info about hub-centric rings, but I believe this post the most, that they don’t carry any load, but do help make sure the wheel is centered.

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/show...57&postcount=7

I do see Neuspeed wheels in the wheel directory:

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18732

That's correct - they are for centering only. That's why plastic hubcentric rings are viable.

I'd say it's near-zero possibility that you can get 0.5mm thick hubcentric rings to bridge the 1mm difference in center bore, so you'd be chancing slight mis-centering with these wheels every time you fit them. That said, if the bolt holes are tapered, then the lug nuts will do their own bit of centering, so it *could* be just fine...

That post is pretty spot on. I personally have never run them, though the Arc-8's are hubcentric already without rings. 57DR's are loosey goosey on the hub.

"These wheels are manufactured using the very latest in full flowcast technology which allows a more uniform arrangement of the alloy structure and granularity greatly increasing the wheel's final characteristics. The result is a lighter and stiffer wheel with much improved strength both in terms of bending and cracking."


A little pricey, but they sound like super tough wheels and the weight is not bad at 20.3 lbs for 18x8, in line with the other flow-formed wheel brands.


One thing that is hard to convey is strength. Well, without buying some and running some torture tests :)